Pollution: ERA/FoEN fear for 31m impacted Nigerians in Ogoniland

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro

The Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) said the outcome of the remediation programme for Ogoni cleanup will determine the survival of 31 million people who depend on the natural habitat for survival in Niger Delta region.
The recommendations was contained in ERA/FoEN comprehensive report titled, “No clean up, no justice: a decade of failure, endorsed by Dr. Uyi Ojo, Executive Director of the Organization.
The group claimed in the report that Prof. Shekwolo, being a senior member of Shell, should have no place in the HYPREP which is undertaking the cleanup of Ogoniland pollution earlier caused by Shell.
According to the organization, the National Assembly should step up its oversight function on the HYPREP project.
It stressed that the implications of Prof. Shekwolo headship of the project is an indication that Shell is in control of the Ogoni cleanup, adding that the possibilities are there that the cleanup exercise if not checked may end up as another academic exercise.
“This cleanup, if well managed, could rightly be described as a turning point in the history of the people of Ogoni and the entire Niger Delta region. It could also provide the yardstick to determine whether the over 31 million people who call this region home will live or die.”
The Human rights group also questioned the delay over “the release of at least US$200 million yearly for initial five years period which should have amounted to US$1 billion by 2021”, and queried if the money been fully paid and wondered what the funds used for.